Belated Blessings
by Sixty Five Roses
Summary: Andy and Sharon travel to Park City to spend Christmas with Sharon's family at her parents' timeshare, but her family is not as accepting of her relationship as she expected them to be.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N : It's a little too early for a Christmas fic, but this plot bunny didn't want to wait until December, so there you have it.**

 **Thanks to Kadi219 for giving a name to this story.**

* * *

Andy watched Sharon as she drove through the snowy roads of Park City to her parents' timeshare, where her family was waiting for her arrival. There was a bright smile on her face that was almost as radiant as their surroundings. Seeing her glowing this way made his insides fuzzy and warm. His eyes took in the view of the streets they were driving through. The city was decorated with colorful Christmas lights, the snowy mountains could be seen in the distance, as the sun set over the city. Everything seemed so festive, and for the first time in forever, Andy understood why Sharon liked Christmas so much. It had magic, even if a person was a bit too old to believe in Santa Claus and reindeers.

Christmas was Sharon's favorite holiday, so when he suggested they would spend it together, he didn't expect her to say that she was planning to travel to Park City. He knew that her children would not be able to make it this year. Emily was planning to spend the holiday with her boyfriend and his family while Ricky was travelling in Europe. Andy knew that Sharon was a little sad about the absence of her two older children, and he hoped that she and Rusty could spend the holiday with him. Nicole and Dean took his step-grandkids to Seattle, for a visit at Dean's parents and his son was spending the holiday with his mother. In past years, when Andy had nowhere to be on Christmas Eve, he and Provenza would get together. If Provenza wasn't available, Andy would hit a meeting, or a series of meetings, just to avoid being alone. But this year, he didn't have to. His children may have had other plans, but now that he and Sharon were celebrating six months of relationship, he thought it would be reasonable to spend the holidays together. Only that she had been invited to Park City. It has been three years since she visited her parents and even longer since she visited her sister, so she took their offer. Andy suggested to tag along, hoping to meet her family too and Sharon was quick to accept.

"I actually thought, since your family is away, and Rusty decided to stay in LA, that you may want to join me. I want you to meet my parents and my sister," she said, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

Sharon hummed a Christmas tune as she drove and Andy smiled to himself. He wondered what her family was like. He didn't know much about them, only that her father was a retired businessman and her mother was a retired teacher and that she had one older sister. That was not much to go on, but he didn't mind. Sharon seemed to be confident about him spending the holiday with her and her family and it probably meant that everything was good.

Sharon took a left turn and then drove up a narrow lane and then pulled into the driveway of a big brick house. Andy's eyes raked over it. The bricks were grey and there was a porch in the front. The house was decorated with colorful Christmas light and was surrounded by bald trees. Andy noticed the soft yellow light that emanated from the first floor windows. It was definitely an impressive house from the outside. He knew that if Sharon's parents had a similar taste to hers, it would probably be the same from the inside as well.

"Come on," Sharon said excitedly as she went out of the car. She rounded the vehicle and opened the trunk, taking out their luggage. Andy joined her, tightening his scarf around his neck as a gust of frozen wind spun around them. Sharon locked the car and they carried their luggage down the pathway that led to the front door. She rung the bell and scooted a bit closer to him. Andy has never seen her so euphoric before, even though he was sure that being away from all her children was difficult for her. He assumed that by now she knew that her kids were grown and had their own lives and plans and she must have learned to let them go, even on holidays.

The door was opened by a woman who was unmistakably Sharon's older sister. Andy noticed immediately that Sharon's sister had hazel eyes, while Sharon's were green and her hair was slightly curlier than Sharon's natural waves. She was also a bit taller and maybe a little thinner than Sharon.

"Oh, you brought a friend!" Sharon's sister's voice was slightly high pitched.

"Andy is my boyfriend," Sharon introduced him. "Andy, this is my sister, Gracie."

"Gracie Walker," Sharon's sister reached to shake Andy's hand.

"Andy Flynn," He took her outreached hand. It was hot, or maybe his hands were cold.

"Nice to meet you," she said as Sharon and Andy entered the warmth of the house. Gracie asked a few questions about the flight and ride to Park City and Sharon answered, a smile plastered on her face.

"So where's everyone?" she asked her sister.

"In the kitchen. Mom can run a production line, I swear. She's got everyone busy," Gracie smiled widely and pulled her sister into her arms again. "Oh, I'm so glad to see you, Sharon. You have no idea how much I missed you."

"I missed you too, Gracie," Sharon said as her sister pulled away from her. She took Andy's hand as they walked to the kitchen, to meet the rest of her family. Sharon smiled as she saw her mother bossing her father and her brother in-law around the kitchen. She assumed that it won't be long before she and Andy would join the Christmas dinner taskforce her mother was orchestrating.

"Sharon, you're finally here!" her mother practically jumped into her arms. "You lost weight," she commented as her arms tightened around her daughter's waist. "You need to eat better."

"I only lost a little bit, mom. I eat fine." Sharon replied. Her mother always thought that she was too thin, or didn't eat well enough. Sharon knew that it wasn't about her weight, but just her mother's subtle way to tell her it's been too long since she last saw her. She was right, though. Sharon didn't get to visit her parents and sister often when she was in FID and even less now that she was in Major Crimes. She knew that there was nothing she could do to change this situation, but she still felt guilty about it.

"She looks fine, Maggie," her father smiled and wrapped his arms around his daughter, kissing both of her cheeks warmly. "She's as beautiful as always." He looked at her with shining eyes. She was always closer to her father, and they got along very well. She could always trust him to be the voice of reason when her thoughts were too chaotic.

"Mom, Dad, I want you to meet Andy, my boyfriend," Sharon introduced him. She wished that she had a better word than boyfriend, not only because she sounded juvenile every time she introduced him to anyone, but also because this definition was far from describing what Andy was to her; he was her friend, her lieutenant, her confidant, her lover, her comforter, her naughty half, the man who completed her in so many ways, the person who dominated a big part of her heart, whose gaze made her skin tingle, her heart beat like mad in her chest, and her stomach flutter with excitement. How could she ever find a word to describe all that? But Andy seemed fine with the way she presented him to the people in her life, and she guessed as long as he knew that he was more than a boyfriend, it was fine. She made a mental note to let him know as soon as they were alone. Her parents shook Andy's hand and Sharon could see by her mother's gaze that she was quite surprised. Sharon guessed that she should have mentioned it in one of their calls, but it always seemed better to tell everyone in person. She felt Andy's fingers wrapping around hers and squeezing them. It appeared that her mother's suspicious expression didn't escape his eyes either.

Sharon's brother in-law walked over to them, wiping his hands on a wet towel and drawing Sharon into a tight hug. He was always a bit too touchy-feely, but Sharon liked his sense of humor and his good nature. He was a great husband to her sister and a wonderful father to his kids. He was also a very loving uncle to her own children and he was the one who convinced her that she would be okay on her own, after the first time Jack left her.

"Darren, it's wonderful to see you," she said and he responded in kind. Sharon introduced him to Andy and he shook the other man's hand. Sharon watched his face, but his expression didn't reveal his thoughts.

"So you two work together?" he motioned between them.

"She's my boss," Andy smiled brightly. "The best boss I've ever had." His words made Sharon smile and wrap one arm around his middle.

"Sharon, why don't you and your friend get settled and then come back down here to help us?" her mother said sternly.

"Sure, which room is empty?" Sharon asked.

"The one with the balcony is free," her sister responded and Sharon thanked her quickly before she motioned Andy to follow her out of the room. They went upstairs and even though Andy tried to be chivalrous about carrying her trolley for her, she insisted that she was perfectly capable of doing it herself. Once they reached the second floor, she led him down the hall and turned left, opening the door to one of the rooms and switching the light on as she went in.

"Woah, your family really has a thing for Christmas!" Andy called out as he looked around him. Sharon nodded with a smile that was brighter than the Christmas lights in the room.

"They went a little overboard, but it's wonderful, isn't it?" Sharon asked.

"It's… festive," he replied. As he walked over to the canopy bed and placed his trolley on the edge of one side, noticing the red bedsheets, with a snowflake pattern on them. A string of pinewood was wrapped around the wooden poles of the canopy, decorated with silver snowflake ornaments. A medium size Christmas tree was standing in the corner of the room and Andy noticed it already had a few gifts under it. A small wreath was hanging on the wall and there was a stocking with Sharon's name hanging over the mantle and Andy could tell it was stuffed. Andy also noticed a candle above the mantle. The entire room smelled like pines.

"You don't like it," Sharon said sadly.

"No, no! It's great, Sharon!" Andy said and saw the ends of her lips curving upwards just a bit.

"You hate it," she grinned.

"Sharon, it's lovely. Your family has a great sense of occasion, just like you." He wrapped his arms around her and planted a quick kiss on her lips.

"They do," Sharon smiled.

"Speaking of your family, I don't think I made a great first impression on your mother," he said.

"If it makes you feel any better, my impression of you wasn't so great either when I first met you," Sharon smirked. "And now I love you."

"I love you too, Sweetheart," Andy's pout was replaced by a wide smile.

"The only reason to worry about my mother is if we don't go back downstairs to help with the cooking," Sharon said and grabbed his arm as she walked out of the room.

* * *

It was almost midnight when Sharon and Andy came back to their room. Sharon turned on the electric fireplace and rubbed her hands in front of it, trying to warm them up. Watching her, Andy took a seat on the edge of the bed and started removing his shoes. He then noticed a second stocking hanging above the mantle. After putting his shoes down by the bed, he walked over to where Sharon was standing. His lips curved upwards when he saw his name embroidered in red cursive letters on the second stocking. He also noticed that the stocking was already stuffed.

"Merry Christmas, Andy," Sharon said, her eyes sparkling brighter than any Christmas decoration Andy's ever seen.

"I can't believe it. I've got my own Christmas elf," Andy joked and captured her lips. They spread for his tongue and Sharon moaned, the way she always did when she wanted more. He granted her wish and deepened the kiss as his hands slid under her red sweater and started pulling it over her head. Her fingers found the zipper of his knitted cardigan and slid it downwards, pushing the cloth down his shoulders and arms until it fell on the floor with a soft thud. They got rid of the rest of their clothes quickly and headed towards the bed, pulling the covers over them to avoid the cold that was still present in the room.

The creak of a floorboards made them freeze and they looked towards the door, and then at each other.

"I feel like a naughty teenager," Andy grinned. "Doing this while your parents are in the other room." He motioned between their naked bodies.

"I can come really quietly," Sharon teased him. "Can you?" she arched one eyebrow quizzically.

"I can do anything you want, honey," Andy said before he drew her lips between his. Her mouth tasted like cinnamon and ginger and if Andy had to guess, he'd say she secretly munched on some of the gingerbread cookies they made earlier. He smiled against her mouth as they both pleasured each other silently, enjoying watching each other as they struggled not to make much noise as their release came. When they were done, they smiled at each other tiredly and exchanged languid kisses for several minutes. It was then that Sharon remembered her earlier thoughts about Andy's status in her life.

"Andy," her voice was faint, but he heard her. "I don't know how to call you."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"When I introduce you to people. I say boyfriend and it sounds so stupid, because you're so much more than that to me," she said.

"Nothing you say ever sounds stupid to me, Sharon. And I don't mind it that you refer to me as your boyfriend. It's actually very cute."

"What do you mean, 'cute'?" Sharon inquired. How could a silly word that could never describe Andy's presence in her life be cute?

"Your face becomes flush and you smile like a happy little girl scout who sold all her cookies when you say it," Andy explained.

"A girl scout?" Sharon snorted and buried her face in his bare chest, trying to stifle another snort.

"My happy little girl scout," Andy kissed the crown of her head.

"Is that how you plan to introduce me to your family when I meet them?" Sharon smiled.

"Not a bad idea," Andy grinned, but Sharon could tell he was only half joking. She pressed a kiss to his lips and sighed.

"Do you know how much I love you?" she said, her voice shaking. Andy saw tears forming in her eyes.

"Of course, Sweetheart," Andy replied. "I know, and I love you too, just as much." His arms tightened around her. They laid there silently, listening to each other's breaths until they both peacefully drifted off.

* * *

The creak of their bedroom door startled them awake from their slumber. Their muscles tensed in unison and their heartrates sped up as they both straightened in bed and threw frightened gazes towards the person standing in the doorway. Sharon swore internally as she pulled the blanket upwards to cover her naked body. Her eyes were fixed on the person in the doorway and her breath caught in her lungs. Her mother looked at them wordlessly for a long, agonizing moment before turning on her heels and shutting the door behind her.

"Sharon?" she heard Andy's voice and felt his hand on her shoulder. She laid back down, aimlessly staring at the decorated canopy. She's never seen such disappointment and scorn in her mother's eyes in her life.

"Shit," the word escaped her lips before she could filter it. Andy looked at her, surprised to hear the profanity coming out of the purest mouth he's ever kissed.

"I guess that didn't gain me points with your mother," he said.

"Probably not," Sharon sighed. "Dammit, why didn't she knock?" she covered her face with her palms.

"I guess she forgot I was here," Andy said. "Was I even supposed to sleep in here?"

"Of course you were, where else would you sleep?" Sharon asked.

"I don't know, a guest room?" Andy wondered.

"Do you really think I would bring you as my plus one and let you sleep in the guest room?" Sharon asked. "Andy, we are not kids. My mother should have known we slept in the same room. She should have knocked. We've done nothing wrong and you shouldn't feel guilty about it."

"I didn't want to get you in trouble, or for your mother to hate me," Andy said. "Although I guess I'm not the 'bring home to meet your family' kinda guy, huh?"

"Why would you ever say that? Andy, you are a great man, do you hear me? And my mother doesn't hate you. She doesn't accept my divorce from Jack yet."

"If my being here is an issue, I can leave," he offered.

"No way. You are staying. We both are," Sharon said. "Unless… Do you wanna leave?" The last thing she wanted is for Andy to feel uncomfortable.

"Not if you don't want me to. We wanted to spend the holidays together, remember?" he said. His words made her smile and she nodded.

"Thank you, Andy. Just… don't be offended about my family's attitude. This is new to them. I think they've gotten so used to seeing me on my own that the idea of seeing me with someone is foreign to them," Sharon said before capturing his lips. "I am happy being your girl scout, Andy, and when they finally realize it, they'll be happy for me. Just give them time."

"I will," Andy promised.

"Now, we better get dressed and go downstairs to breakfast before someone else walks in on us," Sharon said and pushed herself out of the bed, opening her suitcase and taking some clothes out of it while Andy watched her. Turning around, she threw a fierce gaze at him and he got out of bed as well and started fishing for clothes in his own suitcase. Getting in trouble with Sharon's mother was bad enough. Getting in trouble with Sharon would be worse.

 **-TBC-**

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 **While I'm working on the second chapter, I'd love to know what you think of this story so far, so feel free to leave a review or send me a PM.**


	2. Chapter 2

Andy stood at the balcony of their room as Sharon got ready for Christmas dinner. The balcony had a view of the snowy mountains and the back yard of the house. Andy was enchanted by the way the snow sparkled on the frozen ground, along with the reflections of the Christmas lights from the house.

He saw an animal crossing the yard. It looked like a stray dog and Andy could clearly see the footprints it left in the snow. Andy wished that he could have gone on a run in the back yard at this time. Being inside this house, surrounded by Sharon's hostile family was choking him. It started with Sharon's mother who sent him some unpleasant looks over the breakfast table and later on, Gracie enlisted him to go to the grocery store with her and inquired what benefits he was getting at work from dating his boss. Of course, she wasn't direct about it, but Andy has been a detective for 30 years, and he could definitely read between the lines. When they returned, he made a beeline to the bedroom with the excuse that he needed to make an important phone call. It was not a lie. He wanted to call his children and wish them happy holidays. Sharon joined him and spoke to Nicole for a few minutes before leaving the room to allow him some privacy when he spoke to his children and grandchildren. Andy knew that she had spoken to Emily earlier that day and that she will have to wait until after midnight to call Ricky. She planned to call Rusty in the afternoon. Andy knew that she was sad not to have her children around, and he was glad that she at least got to be surrounded by her parents and sister, even if he was not a welcomed addition. He didn't realize she was with him on the balcony until he felt her arms being wrapped around his middle from behind.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked.

"How do you know I've been thinking?" he responded with a question.

"I can feel you're in a pensive mood," Sharon replied as he turned to face her.

"I just miss my family, that's all," Andy said, and they both knew he wasn't telling her the whole truth.

"Maybe next year we can fly to the East Coast and spend time with your mother and siblings," she offered. "Or we can just have a Christmas dinner in LA with your and my kids together."

"Maybe," Andy replied. Sharon brought one hand to caress his cheek.

"Maybe we can do something with your kids on New Year's Eve? It's much closer than next Christmas," she said.

"Yeah, that's a great idea," Andy smiled at her and watched as her lips curved upwards too. He now noticed that she was wearing a thick crimson dress with a soft off-white cardigan that was decorated with a sparkling mistletoe pattern. "You're beautiful," he said and wrapped his arms around her waist. "And you smell really good." She thanked him with a soft kiss.

"Can you come inside for a minute?" she asked when their lips parted.

"Sure, is everything okay?" Sharon nodded and took his hand, leading him back inside and closing the balcony doors behind them.

"Oh my God, it was freezing out there!" she sighed in relief and dragged him closer to the electric fireplace. Andy shrugged but smiled at her. Standing on the balcony with him in the cold must have been a torture for her. "So… um… We still have a few minutes before we have to go downstairs for dinner and I wanted to give you something. I know we're not supposed to open our gifts until tomorrow morning, but I thought this should be an exception." Taking his hand, she handed him a wooden box, similar in size to the one he gave her for Christmas the previous year. Andy removed the lid and smiled as he saw the little shiny object that was resting on top of colorful shredded paper in the box. "It's the key to my condo," Sharon said. "You can come whenever you want."

"Wow, Sharon," Andy looked at her in awe for a long moment. "Thank you so much. It means a lot to me," he wrapped one arm around her waist and pulled her into a tight embrace. Sharon already had a key to his house and she even used it a couple of times since he's given it to her. She smiled sweetly and covered his lips with hers for a short kiss.

"We better go downstairs and see if everyone is ready," Sharon said and took his hand. They left the room and went downstairs together. The dining table was set and beautifully decorated. Everyone were already there, and as Sharon and Andy came in, the O'Dwyers took their seats at the table. It was a table for eight, but since it was just the six of them, they had two empty seats. The fact that there weren't many of them didn't prevent the O'Dwyer family from having enough food to the table to feed an entire LAPD division. Andy noticed that aside from the turkey and other meat dishes, there were at least four vegetarian dishes that Sharon must have come up with for him.

"Before we eat, I just want to say that it's been a long time since I saw both of my daughters around the holiday dinner table and I am very glad both of you made it this year. Hopefully, next year all my grandchildren will be here too," Sharon's father said.

"Amen," her mother responded and smiled warmly at both her daughters. Darren cut the turkey and they all filled their plates and started eating. The first few minutes were rather quiet as six hungry mouths chewed the food on their plates. It was only after they got enough food in their stomachs that several conversations started around the table. Andy listened to Sharon and Gracie talking about their kids. If he understood correctly, Gracie had three married children, two of which lives on the East Coast.

"Andy, would you like some wine?" Darren's voice drew him out of the conversation.

"No, thank you. I don't drink," Andy replied.

"Oh, come on, Andy. It's a holiday!" Gracie said. Andy threw a gaze at Sharon, not sure how much about his background she wanted her family to know at this stage.

"Andy is in AA, Gracie," she said nonchalantly. Andy could feel all the eyes in the room settling on him before Darren went on to offer the others wine. Sharon's hand caught his under the table and her fingers laced with his. She offered him a soft smile as she declined Darren's offer for wine.

* * *

When everyone around the dinner table were full and the conversation started dying down, Sharon's mother declared it was time to clear the table. Sharon and Gracie got up and started picking up the dishes. Andy joined them, hoping that being helpful would earn him a few points with Sharon's family, although he doubted that they would find any of his qualities redeeming. He followed the two O'Dwyer sisters to the kitchen, each of them carrying a pile of plates, while Darren and Sharon's father went out to smoke on the front porch.

Sharon and Gracie remained in the kitchen with their mother and started doing the dishes and boxing up the remains of the dinner while Andy left to bring the rest of the dishes from the table. As soon as he went out of the kitchen, Sharon was faced with her flushed mother and sister who glared at her.

"Do you have masochistic tendencies?" Gracie asked, her eyes full of fire.

"Excuse me?" Sharon looked at her sister with confusion.

"Another alcoholic, Sharon?" her mother glared at her.

"Andy has been sober for two decades, mom. He's doing very well, he's sponsoring other addicts and he attends AA regularly," Sharon replied.

"Don't be naïve, Sharon. What is it with you, always chasing the bad boys?" Gracie asked. "You'd think at your age, you'd be over this childish propensity."

"You two don't even know Andy. You have no idea how sweet and caring he is. He has such a warm personality, but from the minute he walked in here, you've been giving him hell," Sharon felt tears welling her eyes. How could her family not see how in love she was with Andy and how happy his presence made her?

"Sharon, you married Jackson 30 years ago. You made a bad choice and while I don't approve of your decision to divorce him, despite all his shortcomings, I'm willing to let it go. But now you come here with a guest you never told us you'd be bringing with you. You let him sleep in your bed; you are intimate with him; and then you tell us that he's a drinker, just like the husband you decided to divorce. This is unacceptable. You can't just drop a bomb and expect it not to blow up," her mother spoke in a low tone that Sharon always found intimidating.

"Andy and I are serious about each other, and we love each other. We enjoy each other's company; and yes – we enjoy sex too, Mom. I have been on my own for so long and Andy has been a close friend of mine since I transferred to his unit. We've known each other for twenty years. He's a good and honest person and he deserves a chance from you," Sharon said.

"Sharon, when will you grow up and understand that not everyone deserves the chances you're willing to give?" Gracie asked, and her expression made Sharon's stomach burn with rage. She looked at her sister and mother.

"I can't believe you two. Mom, you always taught me to be compassionate, forgiving and accepting. And Grace, you always say to me that it's important to recognize the way that some people have to go to change their lives. Through my childhood and my adulthood I admired and looked up to the two of you, because I saw all those qualities in you. But now, I simply don't recognize the two of you. I am so disappointed," Sharon said and left the kitchen.

The words that were said to her by her mother and sister burned her and she felt as if her skin was covered with blisters. She planned to go outside of the house for a few minutes to cool off, but then she saw Andy, standing a few steps outside the kitchen, holding dishes in his hands. It was clear to her by the way he looked at her that he overheard the conversation that took place in the kitchen and she could see the hurt in his eyes. Taking the dishes from him, and placing them back on the dining table, she took his hand, nearly dragging him upstairs and into the bedroom. Once they closed the door behind them, she wrapped her arms around him and buried her head under his chin.

"Are you okay, Sharon?" he asked as he stroked her hair.

"Whatever you heard, ignore it. Even if they end up hating you, it doesn't change how I feel about you and this is what's important, right?" Andy uttered a faint 'yes' and kissed the crown of her head. "I'm sorry this Christmas is not what you've hoped for," Sharon pulled away from him and looked into his eyes.

"I should say that to you," Andy smiled softly and Sharon caressed his face with the tips of her fingers. Christmas was never really his favorite holiday, and getting the chance to spend it by Sharon's side was great. Putting up with her family was not as bad for him as she thought it was; he was used to this kind of treatment every time he went to one of his family events. It was Sharon who had a hard time with it and he knew the best way to comfort her was to stay by her side, to prove to her and to her family that he would not run away like Jack must have done countless times. This was the only way to prove to her family that he was serious about her, and that he truly cared about her. "Are you feeling a bit better?" he asked. She nodded softly. "Let's go back downstairs." Andy took her hand and they left the bedroom.

* * *

The evening was exhausting for the both of them. After Darren and Sharon's father came back inside, the family sat in the living room and the women served dessert and eggnog. Sharon and Andy sat close to the fireplace, as far as they could from the rest of the family. Andy's arm was around Sharon's shoulders and he gently twirled the ends of her hair around his fingers as he discussed baseball with Darren. He could tell that Sharon was distracted and Andy knew that she was still upset about the conversation with her mother and sister. After a while, she excused herself and went upstairs to sleep. Andy offered to come with her, but she just shook her head at him and he got the message; she wanted to be alone. He stayed in the living room, and kept up the conversation with Darren, whom he found to be a very interesting person and Sharon's father who was mostly quiet and contemplative and listened to the conversation, commenting only when he had something to say. Gracie and Sharon's mother gathered the dessert dishes and went to the kitchen to wash them before they said goodnight and went upstairs. Sharon's father followed them a short time later and Andy found himself with Darren.

"So, you and Sharon," the other man cut to the chase as soon as the two of them were alone. "Is it serious?"

"It is," Andy replied.

"Look, I'm gonna be honest. Sharon has been through a lot of crap with her ex-husband. He's an alcoholic too," Darren started.

"I know him," Andy replied. He figured if he kept his answers short, this conversation wouldn't last long.

"Sharon married too young. She just turned 21. Jack was a really good looking guy, funny, smart, charming, fun to be around. It's easy to understand why he swept her off her feet. Her family loved him as much as they loved her, but I never liked him much. Shortly before their wedding, I even told her that she can do better, but she looked at me, and her eyes shone and I could tell that she was crazy about him. I assume you know the rest of the story," Darren said. Andy hummed. "You seem like a nice person, but you have a history, which sounds too similar to Jack's. It worries me. It worries everyone around here."

"I understand," Andy said. "I've been married before, as I told you earlier, and I don't think I ever loved my wife as much as I love Sharon. I know it's a cliché, but it's true. It's been a very long time since I felt this way towards anyone. Maybe it's because we've been good friends for a long time. I feel really deeply for her."

"And I can tell, just by looking at her that she feels very deeply for you," Darren said. "All I'm saying is – Sharon has dealt with Jack's addiction for nearly 3 decades. Please don't let her deal with yours as well, whether you fall off the wagon or stay on it."

"I'll do my best, Darren," Andy promised. Darren offered him his hand and Andy shook it. "Now, if you don't mind, I'll go to check on her. She was a little under the weather earlier."

"Sure, of course. Good night, Andy," Darren said and smiled. Andy smiled back and decided that he really liked Darren. His concern for Sharon seemed genuine, but he was still trying to be friendly and welcoming. It was good to have at least one ally in Sharon's family, Andy thought as he went upstairs and walked towards the bedroom. He was not surprised to find Sharon talking with Ricky on Skype, with a beautiful smile lighting up her face. Ricky was telling her about the traditional Christmas markets in Germany and inquired if she received the gifts he sent her. As soon as Sharon saw him, she motioned for Andy to join her, and he took a seat by her side and waved at Ricky. The kid looked happy to see him. They chatted a little before Ricky had to go and wished them both merry Christmas.

"So, I see that you and Darren get along well," Sharon said after she shut her computer.

"Yeah, he seems like a nice guy," Andy responded and started taking off his clothes.

"He is sweet. He's helped me so much with the kids when they were younger," Sharon said. "And anytime I wasn't sure what to do, he gave me a good advice."

"Yes, he strikes me as a wise person," Andy said and walked over to her. "Are you ready to go to bed?" He asked. Sharon nodded slowly and close the distance between them, shedding her crimson dress as she walked. She slipped into her PJ's and crawled into bed. Andy followed her and wrapped his arm around her waist. They exchanged quiet goodnights, not feeling the need to fill the space between them with any words. They both liked that about each other; when there was nothing left to say, they were comfortable just being together in silence.

Sharon laid in the dark for a long time after she heard Andy's breaths evening out and becoming shallow. She waited for sleep to come and take over her for the night, but it failed to arrive. She had too many thoughts running through her head, chasing her sleep away. Her conversation with her mother and Gracie was weighing on her. She never imagined that her family would oppose her divorce so strongly and she never thought that they would be against her dating someone new. Her mother and sister's open doubt of her judgement deeply hurt her feelings. Couldn't they see how happy she was with Andy? Couldn't they see that he really loved her and that her feelings for him were real?

Carefully slipping out of Andy's arms, she went out of bed. She put on her coat, grabbed her UGGS and left the room. Quietly, she walked down the hall, descended the stairs and walked to the front door, only stopping to put her UGGS on before she opened it and walked out to the front porch. The cold of the night hit her like a thousands of needles piercing her skin all at once and she shivered.

"You'll catch a cold," a voice behind her startled her. She turned to face her father who was standing in the doorway behind her. "Can't sleep?" She nodded quickly and her father joined her on the porch. "What's keeping you up?"

"It's nothing. Just some thoughts," Sharon sighed. Her father lit a cigarette and took a long drag. He offered it to her. "I don't smoke, Dad."

"You never liked the smell," her father said. "Not even when you were a baby. You used to cry if I smelled of smoke." He smiled to himself as he put the cigarette out on a pile of snow that gathered on the wooden banister. "So what's on your mind, Sweetie?" he asked and wrapped his arm around his daughter's shoulders.

"It's Mom and Gracie, they said some things to me earlier that offended me," Sharon replied.

"What did they say?" her father asked.

"They said I have poor judgement, that I'm naïve, masochistic, and childish," Sharon replied. "And Mom hates it that I divorced Jack."

"The bastard had it coming," her father said. "I entrusted my precious treasure in his hands and he treated her like crap. Hearing that you divorced him was the best news I got this year."

"It's not only that, Dad. They judged Andy, just because he's an alcoholic, even though he's been sober for twenty years." Thin mist left her mouth as she spoke.

"They don't really like Andy, I know," her father responded. "But sweetie, what your mother and sister think about your boyfriend shouldn't matter to you. If you're happy with him, if he's good to you, if he makes you smile, then you should follow your heart. It's not masochistic to love someone else. It's masochistic not to." Sharon felt a fountain of tears escaping her eyes. She didn't even realize that she had tears in her eyes until that moment. They flowed warmly on her cheeks and her father pulled her into his arms and stroked her hair.

"Thanks, Dad," she whispered.

"Now, do you wanna freeze to death out here while we wait for Santa's sleigh to land in the yard or should we go inside and I'll make you some hot chocolate?" Her father grinned as she pulled away.

"Can we steal Santa's cookies?" Sharon's eyes lit up. When she was still young enough to believe in Santa, she used to stay up and try to catch him. Her father used to dress up in a Santa costume and walk through the house. He would always catch her hiding and watching him as he placed the gifts under the tree and then lured her out of her hiding and they would eat gingerbread cookies together before 'Santa' sent her off to bed. She found out the truth when she was 10, but their Christmas tradition still remained many years later.

"Sure, we can, cookie thief," her father replied and they went back into the house to have a night snack.

* * *

The smell of cinnamon and ginger filled the entire house and invaded the bedrooms on the second floor, waking up the family and making their stomachs grumble. Three pairs of feet padded down the stairs, clad in thick socks and slippers. One pair of feet went upstairs, and entered the bedroom in which Andy had just woken up. Sharon took a seat at the end of the bed and leaned to kiss him.

"Merry Christmas, honey," she said. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her to him.

"I dreamt that Santa was here tonight but I told him I already have the most wonderful gift I could have asked for," he spoke softly and his eyes shone. His words made Sharon smile widely and she captured his lips again. "Where were you all night?" he asked, his tone curious.

"I spent some quality time with my dad," Sharon replied and Andy could detect a hint of sadness in her eyes. He knew how much she missed her parents and sister, how hard it was for her that they all lived so far away from her.

"So, what's Christmas morning tradition around here?" he changed the subject. Christmas was her favorite holiday and he hated seeing her sad.

"Well, if you can get out of bed really fast, we can open the presents now and then go downstairs for breakfast. My dad and I baked a cake, and it goes really well with coffee," Sharon said and pushed his comforter aside. They walked towards the tree in the corner of the room and Sharon smiled at him. "You go first," she said and handed him a small box wrapped in red and golden paper with a golden bow. Andy carefully opened it and pulled out a dark wooden box. He opened it carefully, not sure what to expect to find inside.

"Sharon, seriously?" he asked and wrapped his arms around her. She bought him a new watch and one that looked pretty luxurious too. "You really didn't have to do that."

"You felt really bad after you broke the old one," Sharon shrugged. She was right; Andy's old watch was crushed after an altercation with a suspect. He walked around pissed off for a week after that.

"Thank you, Sharon. It's beautiful," he said and planted a soft kiss on her lips. "Now open yours." There were three gifts for Sharon under the tree. One from Andy, one from her parents and one from Gracie and Darren. "This one is mine," Andy said and handed her a big box wrapped in shimmery blue paper with a sparkling white snowflakes pattern. Sharon quickly unwrapped it, and put the wrapping paper aside. She looked at the decorated box in her hands and then opened it to reveal a tea kit that included an assortment of wellness and artisan teas, a tea press, and a gift card for purchasing tea in the brand's store.

"Thank you, Andy. I love it!" she called out and took his hand. She quickly opened the gifts from her parents and sister, and then grabbed another gift and handed it to Andy. "This one is for the both of us. I think Santa left it for us." She watched him as he opened it, revealing deep purple lace lingerie.

"Santa has been naughty this year," Andy smirked and Sharon nodded with a wide smile. They heard a knock on the door.

"We'll be right down!" Sharon called out and looked at Andy. She placed the lingerie back in the box and put it under the tree again "Come on, let's go get some breakfast."

The entire family was already seated at the big dining room table and was munching on the cake Sharon and her father baked when Sharon and Andy came down the stairs. They said good morning to everyone as they took their seats next to each other. Everyone ate in silence, and there was barely any conversation going on around the table. It appeared that the strains from the previous evening still prevailed.

At the end of breakfast, Sharon and Andy were about to go upstairs when Gracie and Sharon's mother asked her if they could talk to her. She followed them to the kitchen, not sure what to expect from them.

"Sharon, we spoke about it and we can tell that the things we said to you last night hurt your feelings," Gracie started. "And we just wanted to apologize."

"The things we said were out of love. As your mother," her mother motioned between Sharon and Gracie, "I care and worry about you, even if the two of you are grown. And I can see that the set of beliefs I grew up with may not work for you." She looked at Sharon and sighed. "You committed to Jack, and I know he's broken his vows more than once, and I thought you will still keep yours. You've done it for thirty years and I guess you've had your fill of his behavior. It's a brave thing to do, starting a journey on your own, and if Andy makes you happy, then I am glad that you won't be completely alone on your way." Sharon could tell it was hard for her mother to say those words.

"I appreciate it, Mom, Gracie. I really do," Sharon's voice shook.

"We just have one request to make," Gracie said. "If Andy ever relapses, if he mistreats you, if you are no longer happy with him, don't wait thirty years. Don't wait even a minute. Leave him right away." Sharon nodded in agreement. She hoped that she will never have to be in a position where any of these things happen to her. Gracie wrapped her arms around her and their mother wrapped hers around the both of them. The three of them whispered tearful 'I love you' to each other before they pulled apart.

* * *

Andy was standing on the balcony again, looking into the endless dark blanket that was speckled with stars and governed by the white moon; it was bigger than usual and cast a soft light on the snowy ground. There was something about this place that captured his heart. He's never seen snow so pure, nights to quiet, and even though it was cold, he found the place magical, a true winter wonderland.

His day was quieter than the one before. After the awkward breakfast, Andy went upstairs to call Nicole and speak to his grandkids, while Sharon went to the kitchen with her mother and sister. When Andy went back downstairs, Darren and Sharon's father offered him to go with them for a walk and he agreed and joined them. The two of them were quite friendly and asked a lot of questions about his family. They spoke about a fishing trip in the spring and wondered if Andy would join them. He promised to join them if his work permitted it. Darren jokingly mentioned that since he was dating his boss, he may get a special permission; Andy laughed and said that he would never use their relationship to affect his work status. Darren and Sharon's father smiled knowingly, as if they shared a private joke. It still seemed like they were testing him, but in a friendly manner. He guessed that after what she's been through with Jack, it was only natural that Sharon's family would be very protective of her, even if she didn't need them to be.

"Hey there," he heard Sharon's voice behind him as she stepped onto the balcony, placing one of her hands on his, and the other on the frozen railing. "You seem so solemn every time you come out here," she said, only half-joking. He turned to her and placed his hands on her either side of her waist, looking deep into her eyes.

"I'm just in awe of all the beauty that I see in front of me," he said and the ends of his lips curved upwards only slightly. Sharon's hands moved to cup his cheeks, and Andy noticed that one of them was warmer than the other.

"My mom and Gracie looked for you today, and couldn't find you," Sharon said. "They wanted to apologize for the way they treated you yesterday."

"It's okay, Sharon. I understand why they acted the way they did. No apology needed," he said and saw a confused expression appearing on Sharon's face. "You remember that time DDA Rios tried to remove Rusty from your custody and you became very defensive of him?" Sharon hummed softly. "Now that I've seen the way your mother and sister tried to protect you from the big bad wolf, I realized that you learned it from them. They don't want you to get hurt," Andy said. He could see realization sparking in her eyes, and it was almost like watching a lightbulb going on above her head.

"I'm just like my mother," she gasped and her lips formed a silent 'Oh my God'. Andy laughed and turned his face to kiss her palm that was still resting on his cheek.

"You're perfect, that's what you are," he said.

"I'm not perf – "

"You are perfect for me, Sharon," Andy said. She mouthed an inaudible 'thank you' and drew him down to her lips for a long kiss. When they pulled apart, Andy noticed snowflakes falling from the sky, catching in her hair.

"Baby, it's cold outside," she sang softly, her voice low and sultry. Taking a step away from him, she undid the knot in the belt of her warm robe and pulled it open just enough for him to see the lingerie she showed him earlier that day. Andy saw the goosebumps that formed on her creamy skin and the way her nipples pushed against the lace of the purple bra as she shivered in front of him. "Come inside. You have one more gift to unwrap," she said, the gaze in her eyes leaving no room for interpretation before she turned and slowly paced back into their room through the French doors, putting a twist in her hips as she hummed a sweet Christmas tune. Andy looked at her for only a second before he followed her inside. It really was cold outside and he had quite a few ideas how to get warm.

THE END

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 **As always, I would love to know what you thought about this story, so feel free to leave a review or send me a PM.**


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